Sweet Revenge
by Fearless1
Summary: Jack's Hunting The the big bad Richard B. Riddick. Used to be a NC17 story with sexual content and very strong language. Don't read if this offends you.
1. Blackmail 101

Disclaimer: Would anyone out there actually sue me if I did claim to own Riddick and Jack?

Jack sat through the headmaster's lecture with one ear on his droning voice and the other waiting for the last class bell of the day. She was finally through her tech training. Five long years of reading and computing and worst of all; five long years of listening to this asshole. It was the end of the year and she was free. 

Her senses told her that he was finally winding down and she smiled in his direction. Sanctimonious bastard!

"Exactly what are you smiling at young lady?" He asked in a snotty voice.

"The school records are already posted, aren't they?" Innocent wide eyes looking at him.

"Of course." She could tell he thought she was stupid. Everyone at the school did and she'd done everything she could to complete that picture. 

"So---if I've passed, there's nothing that could change that, right?" 

"Young lady, the fact that you passed is a minor miracle. I'd be surprised if you didn't end up in a correctional facility with the amount of time that I've had you in this office.

Jack smiled slowly and leaned back in her chair. One booted foot went up on the headmaster's desk followed by the other. "Actually, considering the amount of time that I've spent in here listening to your bullshit it's fucking miracle that I'm not in a _metal health_ facility. As for passing your pathetic courses, why would I bother. Can't get a job with the shit you teach here." 

She grinned one of her wicked little grins. " I do have to say that it was nice of you to let me use your net systems to set up my business and even nicer that you allowed me access to resources that I ---- well let's just say I put them to good use."

She pulled both feet off his desk, stood up and admired her work. His face was almost purple with rage, a little vein was throbbing on his forehead. She sauntered out the door pausing for a moment to turn back. 

"Just in case you were thinking of sicking the cops on me, you should know that I have a really _interesting_ net broadcast ready to launch of you and a student taken last year. She looks to be a bit underage, if you get my meaning." 

His face suddenly blanched. 

It had cost a lot of credits to get her hands on that tape but watching the blood drain from this piece of shit's face made it worth it. She had wanted to leave the tech school knowing that if her illegal actions were discovered at a later date, he would make sure to keep it quiet. 

Jumping into her ground car, she felt like singing. It had been along time since she felt this good. She had fulfilled her end of a deal that she'd made with Imam who'd insisted that she finish school. It was the least she could do for the man who'd taken her in and treated her like family but now it was time to do something for herself. Something she'd been waiting a long time for.

Find Richard B. Riddick and kick his sorry ass.

"Child, I think that you should have left this idea of revenge behind you long ago." Imam was desperately trying to convince her to forget Riddick as he stood in their small kitchen cutting up vegetables for dinner.

Jack grinned and stuck out her tongue. "If you call me a child, I'm gonna act like one." Dodging the issue.

"How do you expect to find him after all this time?" Imam put down the knife he'd been holding and turned to her.

She pursed her lips together. Now was the time to tell him what she'd been doing these past years instead of studying. Oh Damn! He was going to hate this. "Imam, do you remember when we first got here and I was tracking the net looking for him everyday?"

"I hardly think that I could forget that. Getting you to stop long enough to eat was a challenge." He smiled at her fondly.

"Well, it turns out that I have a knack for that kind of thing. I can find anyone, anywhere." She paused, waiting for a response.

"It's good that you have a useful skill. Perhaps it will be an asset when you join the work force." 

Too late for that old man! 

"The thing is ---- I've been doing that as my career for a couple of years now." She shoved both hands into her pants pockets and adopted a defensive stance. She'd been helping people find their run away kids, mercs find their paydays and anybody else that could afford her. She'd developed quite a rep on the net but no one had any idea who she was.

"You've been working for years?" Iman asked incredulously.

"Been saving credits, setting myself up. I'm ready now." Jack said proudly.

Imam's eyes narrowed on her and he sat heavily in a chair. "I should have known." He signed. "You were always too -- restless to sit and wait for life to come to you. Even before I knew you --- on that dark planet, you rushed things."

"Imam, don't you want him to pay for what he did to us?" She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice.

"I wish harm to no man." She knew that he meant it and just couldn't understand. 

Riddick had abandoned them on a strange planet and had taken all their credit. They had been forced to beg for food until Imam had found a job. She'd cursed him for years until Imam had finally admitted to her that he'd encouraged Riddick to go. Riddick's need had been greater than theirs, Iman had told her. 

Fuck that! Her need had been pretty damn big when she was sleeping in alleys, fending off would be rapists and freaks.

Jack planted her feet solidly. "You have your philosophy and I have mine. I also have a ship. One that's gonna take me to Mr. Big Bad Ass so that I can pay him back." She wasn't looking for permission and wanted Imam to know that.

He rubbed his fingers in his graying beard and looked at her thoughtfully. "Well, you can't run off without dinner, can you? Sit down."

Jack let out the breath that she'd been holding. He wasn't going to try and stop her, not that he could have but she didn't really want to leave with a bad feeling between them. 

She looked around her bedroom. Thought of the nightmares she'd had in that bed, of the hours spent in front of the mirror trying to look dangerous. She imagined that other girls dreamed of boys and spent their time in front of the mirror with entirely different goals. 

Bags packed, she wore a black flight suit with titanium covered boots and black contact lenses designed for night vision. She'd come into this apartment as a little girl but was determined to leave it a lethal hunter.

Imam watched her reproachfully as she carried her things to the door. "If I'd had any idea why you were taking those martial arts courses and computer classes I would have prevented it." He said regretfully.

"I'd have done it anyway." She admitted.

"I suppose."

"I can take care of myself." Her fingers ran over the bulge of the tazer she had in her pant's leg pocket.

"That remains to be seen." He paused thoughtfully. "Have you ever wondered why it is that you cannot let go of your anger towards Mr. Riddick? Perhaps there is more to your feelings than anger."

"Oh yeah, hatred, disgust, loathing and a few other things that I'm not allowed to say under your roof." She smiled at the childhood remembrance of her rebellion at Imam's rules.

"I was thinking more of betrayal and the loss of ---- a friend." The old man stood up and walked to the door where she held her bags.

Jack blinked. Friend! What the hell was he thinking? "Nice try but that's not it." She dropped her bags and wrapped her arms around the man who'd been like a father to her for so many years. Tears stung her eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I finish----what I have to do."

"I'll be waiting."

She gave him one last bright smile and opened the door. "You might want to think about waiting with that nice lady who smiles at you from down the hall."

"Shoo child." His face flushed and embarrassed. 

Her ship was not new, it wasn't even second hand. More like tenth hand. But it had a completely rebuilt drive engine that could catch anything and it had a weapon's array lethal enough to take down a full battle platform. 

It also had some little alterations that she'd had specially installed. 

A real water shower; not standard.

A holding cell, most definitely not standard.

And the best part, a captain's quarters to rival the greatest of fleet cruise liners. A little indulgence that she'd allowed herself when considering how tough the first few years had been for her and Imam and all the luxuries that she'd never had.

Thinking of that, she logged on the net from her interface on board the ship and transferred funds into Imam's account. The next time that he accessed his credit balance he would have a nice surprise. She'd known that he'd never take money from her so she simply wasn't going to give him a chance to say no.

She had a state of the art computer system onboard and would be working while in transit. Riddick was a personal vendetta but that didn't mean she was planning on loosing money while chasing him. She sent a few messages to clients and put her things away.

Waiting for take off clearance she felt the excitement bubbling up inside her. Comin' to get you bastard! 

Gonna make you real fucking sorry you left me behind!


	2. Let The Fun Begin

Disclaimer: I own nothin' here but imagination

Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful!

Riddick stood next to the space dock's loading office and cursed all the stupid motherfuckers on this planet. Somehow they'd managed to screw up his cargo's orders and he would be stuck planet-side for another two days.

The sheer panic in the eyes of the office clerk had been entertaining but not nearly enough to make up for having to stay in this shit hole for two days. Not to mention that he lost money every hour he sat here. 

He ran his hands over his coarsely shaven head and tried to decide what to do for the next couple of days. He'd have to notify the company manager that he'd be late coming in with supplies. She wouldn't like it but she'd put up with it. It was hard to get a pilot who'd fly the dangerous route through the asteroid field to deliver the mining colony's shipments. 

Next, find a place to lie low. Officially Richard B. Riddick was dead but he still hadn't lost the habit of keeping under the local authority's radar. Considered it good survival techniques.

Two hours later he found himself a restaurant in a seedier part of town. It had illegal red meat and real alcohol. 

Okay, hanging out on a planet had some perks he thought to himself as he got a table. 

Having no local currency he'd had to use his debit card, which was a little risky if there was a bust but he figured he'd be okay in this part of town. Not too many cops gonna come knocking on doors down here.

The steak was great. Bloody, just the way he liked it and the drinks were strong. Riddick pushed his glasses up on to his head to check out the waitress a little closer. He'd done a quick inspection when he entered but she was worth another look. She smiled at him from across the room and walked over with second drink. 

"Nice eyes." She hooked her hair behind one ear and rested a hip on the side of his table.

He leaned back and folded his massive arms over his chest. "Hmmm."

"You a miner or an ex con?" Usual question when people saw his eyes.

"You really care?" He knew her type. Bored and looking for a little danger. Well---_he_ definitely qualified for _that_ he thought to himself.

She smiled and licked her lips slowly. "I get off in an hour if you're interested in --- going out for a drink or something."

Riddick pushed his glasses back down and stood up. "Maybe I'll see you in an hour."

She strolled away from the table her hips swaying gently. "Maybe you will." 

He closed his eyes for just a second and imagined that she didn't have a grease stained uniform and wasn't exactly like every other woman that propositioned him like this. These women had begun to bore the shit out of him. Too predictable, too easy. It had been a while since he'd bothered to get laid and usually took care of business on his own. 

He sighed and sauntered out. He wouldn't be back at the appointed time.

Back on board his ship, Riddick stood under a hot shower and took care of his tension without the benefit of the eager woman and then, after drying off, flopped down on his hard, lumpy bed. _Jesus_ this ship was crappy. He really needed to do something about getting a new one but buying ships always meant computers and data trails. More traps that he could get caught in.

Running his hand over his eyes Riddick thought about the two boring days he was going to have to spend there. He realized that these two days weren't really the problem. He was plain fucking bored with life in general. He needed some excitement, a thrill. Memories of his life before the crash on T2 whizzed through his mind. Fucking thrills a minute. Then---something had changed inside him and he hadn't been able to return to that lifestyle. 

It wasn't like he'd become a decent citizen or anything and he'd sure as hell caused enough mayhem but now he focused his energy on people he figured deserved it instead of anyone who happened to be nearby. Most of the time he just went about his business quietly and left shit alone. _Sad motherfucker_ you've become he chided himself.

Goddamn Carolyn Fry and her sacrifice. Fucked him up royally. He turned the vision of her disappearing face away and drifted into an unsettled sleep.

Riddick came awake without moving. Something was wrong, someone was onboard his ship. 

He maintained an even breathing pattern and kept himself completely at ease. He could hear footsteps moving towards his small room. One inhaled breath told him that it was a woman and another told him that she was young and clean. Not the usual smell of a merc but he supposed that this could be a rookie who got lucky and was trying to prove herself.

Big mistake little girl!

He lifted the double-edged blade off his nightside table, palmed it and then returned to a relaxed pose. Let's see how brave the bitch actually was he smiled to himself in the dark.

Jack crept along the inky black passageway with her tazer in one hand. God, what a piece of junk she laughed silently. The pipes were actually hanging down from the ceiling and everything smelled slightly stale, like the air circulation system wasn't working properly. The brief thought entered her mind that he should be living a hell of a lot better if he were taking murder contracts. Since she'd tracked him to this identity and delivery job Jack had assumed that this normal guy routine was just a cover.

It had to be! 

Riddick was a cold-blooded murderer and she had plenty of net news stories showing the remains of his hapless victims over the years. According to her database of statistically probabilities, he was responsible for quite a few deaths in the last five years. She hadn't seen any evidence of the blood drinking and cannibalism that he'd been accused of before but she figured that the police didn't release all the details to every murder.

And she was going to bring him to justice. She'd even planned to donate the reward to a children's charity so that Riddick would know she hadn't done it for the money. Of course, she was going to exact a little _justice_ of her own before she turned him in.

She stood in front of the sleeper cabin. He had to be in there. He wasn't anywhere else on the ship, she'd looked. Her gloved hand turned the tazer upwards so that it wasn't immediately visible and she put a knife in the other hand as a decoy. 

The electronic swipe card hacked the lock on the room door just as quickly as it had the ship's door and she was inside. Her night vision lenses made it possible to pick up his sleeping form on the bed. She was in luck; he'd not even woken up. Jack couldn't stop the smile from showing on her face. This was priceless. The Big Evil, sleeping like a fucking baby as she captured him.

One foot in front of the other as she crossed the room, letting the knife flash in case he was faking it. She didn't want him to know what her real weapon was.

Shit! 

She had balls; he'd give her that. Climbing right in the mouth of the monster to catch it. Most mercs would've stood at a safe distance and thrown a tranq into him, not realizing that tranqs didn't work so great on him until they were about to die.

Well, this little firecracker had just earned a few more seconds of life. He examined the heat pattern of her body. She wasn't overly excited for someone in this much danger. Not too fucking bright, he figured.

He let her get to the side of his bed.

"You plannin' on joining me lady?" His voice low and seductive.

He heard her gasp but she recovered quickly. "Actually, I was thinking you would be joining me."

"Think so, eh?" He moved so quickly that she didn't have a chance and suddenly she was pinned under him on the bed with her knife on the floor and his pressed up against the pale skin of her throat.

"Now what are you thinkin'?" He smiled, his teeth glinting in the darkness.

"I was thinking that you're awfully heavy Riddick. Maybe you need to go on a diet, you know, cut down on all that red meat." He caught the flicker of her teeth as she smiled back up at him.

How interesting. 

She wasn't begging for him to release her, wasn't even scared and she'd obviously followed him today to that restaurant. This merc did her homework and she was tough. Maybe he'd let her live awhile for entertainment's sake.

"That's funny cause I was just thinking how hungry I was and how tasty you look." He whispered the last few words up close to her ear, letting his lips graze the lobe and felt her shiver.

This was going to be fun.

It was the last thought he had before she jabbed the tazer into his leg and the electrical charge zapped through his entire body rendering him unconscious.


	3. Unleashed

Jesus Christ!

Riddick weighed a ton. She could barely breath and it took every last once of strength to roll his inert body off of hers. Finally she got out from under and stood up next to the bed. 

It was then that she noticed that he was nude. How she'd missed that when he was on top of her, she had no idea. _Guess I was too busy trying to stay alive_ she figured as she took a moment to look him over. 

He was as big as she'd remembered, with all the muscles in all the same places. Broad shoulders, heavy arms. His sculpted chest rose up and down as he breathed. Hmmm. Those abs weren't bad. Jack pulled the sheet down further and her mouth dropped open a bit. 

Now, _that_ was impressive! Too bad it belonged to such a murdering bastard.

She cuffed him and covered him in the sheet again. A quick hop back to her ship and she had him on a grav sled ready to transport. It wasn't easy but in about thirty minutes Riddick was firmly restrained in her holding cell and she was requesting lift off from the spaceport's tower.

Oh Fuck!

His head was killing him!

Where the hell ----? Immediately he realized that he was tied to something --- a wall. They were soft restraints with padding. The air was fresh and he could feel the gentle hum of the engines. He was alone.

Okay, on a ship. Not his ship. Probably a merc's. Albeit a very strange merc who used padded cuffs.

It came back to him in a flash of throbbing pain. Oh shit! The woman in his room. She'd had a knife and quite _obviously_ something else. 

He let his eyes open just a crack and saw that the lights were on real low. That probably won't continue he thought bitterly. His glasses must be long gone by now. 

Bars. No, make that titanium bars with a hack proof computer-locking device. Just fucking great! He had to get caught by someone with half a brain this time. No macho wannabe for him to take down. This chick knew what she was doing.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He looked down and realized that she must have put his pants on him. Hmmm. Maybe the little girl was bothered by --- something she saw. Might be able to use that to his advantage. 

A small cell with a toilet, sink and a bed. Again, rather nice accommodations for a merc to supply. Scanning the room further he spotted some of his things outside the bars. Boots, a pile of clothing and low and behold his glasses. 

What the hell was going on here? This was getting more confusing by the second. No merc would bother bringing his shit for the ride to slam. Prisoners didn't get to keep their stuff. Even the stupidest merc knew that. 

His concentration was broken as the door outside his cell slid open to reveal his mystery woman. 

__

Okay Riddick, time to find out exactly what the fuck is going on.

Head down, he raised his eyes from under a thick brow to inspect what he'd begun to think of as his next victim. He didn't make a habit of torturing women but for this piece of work, he was planning on making an exception. 

Long wavy hair, probably brown. Black form fitting spacer suit, very expensive. Good muscle tone under the suit, she probably worked out. Nothing else of interest except the tazer in her hand. Well, now he knew what had knocked him out. Where she'd had it hidden was anyone's guess.

Then he looked away, feigning disinterest. _Come on pretty little fly, climb into my web._

Jack smiled slightly and moved into the room. This was typical Riddick behavior. Look bored, as if he's not paying attention until an opportunity to cut somebody's throat and escape appears. Not gonna happen today big guy!

"How do you like your accommodations?" She leaned against the wall next to the door and examined her nails.

He didn't respond.

"I imagine you're wondering what's going on here, eh?" She slid the tazer into a pocket and checked for hangnails on her left hand. 

Nothing from Riddick.

"I know everyone thinks you died a long time ago, only I know that's not true. I know what you've been doing. I know who you've killed and I know you're going back to the slam to pay for it." Jack finished looking at her hands and clasped them behind her back. 

Ha! _Whatcha got to say about that Bad Ass?_

He looked directly at her and she felt a small charge run through her body. Keeping herself completely relaxed she tilted her head to one side and smiled serenely at him.

Eyes glinting in the low light. "Seein' how as you know so much, then I guess I don't have to tell you that you're not gonna make back to the slam." 

He paused and dragged his teeth over a full lower lip. "You ain't gonna make it anywhere little girl." His whispered rumble drifted through the bars and grabbed her attention completely.

She'd forgotten how intimidating he could be. "You think so, eh?" A quick recovery. _Don't_ show him you're scared. She turned and walked out the door as slowly as she could force her feet to move, her heart pounding.

"I know so." Came the quiet reply just before the door whisked shut.

She leaned against the wall outside his cell. Oh man! That had not gone the way she'd planned. For some reason she'd thought he would have been easier to control once she had him tied up. Thinking back to the first time she had seen him in the wreckage of the ship on T2 Jack realized how stupid she'd been. Riddick had been nothing less than a king on his throne when Johns had strung his arms up with those unbreakable chains. 

__

Breathe Jack! Just take it easy. Stick to the plan. He's the one in the cell and you're in charge. All you have to do is wear him down a little. He'll be begging for mercy soon enough. She took a deep lung full of air and pushed herself off the wall. 

It took almost two hours for Riddick to work one hand out of the padded restraints and five minutes for him to get the remaining three off. He shook himself out and did a couple of stretches. 

Bitch! 

Was she planning on leaving him like that for the entire trip? Kinda pointless to give him a bed and shitter if she was gonna have him hanging off the wall.

He checked out the bars and the lock. Both were as tough as he'd thought and fortified with an electrical charge to keep him from touching them. Damn! Now what? Maybe if he asked real nice, she'd just open the door for him. He laughed quietly at that thought, the low sound rolling off the walls.

He was laying on the bed resting with his eyes closed when she finally returned. "I would have expected the Great Richard B. Riddick to get out of those simple restraints a lot faster. Apparently you're slipping in your old age."

He smiled to himself. Okay, this kid had some kind of an axe to grind. For a moment he considered that he might have Xed out her old man or something but that wasn't very likely. Most of his targets had been real anti-social scumbags. From the looks of this girl he could see she was educated and had money. Not running in the same circles with his crowd.

What the hell could she be out to prove? 

He opened his eyes and saw that she had a tray in her hands. Dinner?

"I'm going to slide this in. Don't bother trying to get me through the bars. They're electrified." She leaned down and he moved cat-like towards the small opening next to the door. 

Their eyes met and he realized that she had completely black lenses. Night vision! Ah, that's how she'd been able to move around in his room. He wondered what color her real eyes were. He was close enough to smell her now. Mmmm. Breathing her in. 

Her hands pushed the plastic tray through the slot, careful not to touch the bars and he smiled wickedly. Not careful enough kid!

So fast that she didn't have time to blink, Riddick's thick arm snaked out and his hand wrapped around her neck pulling her to the bars and electrocuting both of them at the same time. 

Shit! It hurt like a son of a bitch! He could feel his eyes rolling back in his head and finally let her go to pull his hand back away from the bars. He staggered around the cell for a few seconds trying to shake it off and then turned to look at her body lying on the ground outside.

"Should've kept me in the chains. Definitely should've stayed away from the cage girl." His voice rough from the pain. He grimaced and reached through the bars to drag her close enough to search for the key card. Each time his arm grazed the titanium and a jolt of power hit him, his teeth ground together and the furrow in his brow got deeper. 

The card had been in her pocket. Finally, some luck he thought as he dragged her unconscious body into the cell. He thought about the cuffs on the wall but he'd mangled them pretty bad. Instead he stripped her out of the flight suit, tore it up and used it to tie her to the bed. 

She was left in a T-shirt and shorts. Vulnerable like this, he knew she'd be worried about rape and it would probably be an effective way to get information out of her. Women could be a lot tougher than men if they had to be but they did have weak points. 

Okay, check out the ship, take care of anyone else onboard and get headed in a safe direction. 

Those were the priorities. "Then I'm comin' back for you bitch." He trailed a finger over her bare knee.


	4. Eugenics and Other Life Lessons

__

All right, I've slightly miscalculated here. Jack closed her eyes. 

__

You're a fucking idiot. This isn't a miscalculation; this is a major screw up. This is so screwed up that --- well, she didn't know what.

She wondered how long she'd been out of it. Not too long she guessed because her arms hadn't gone to sleep even tied above her head. Wiggling around and yanking as hard as she could hadn't gotten her any looser so at the moment she was reclining and trying to think of a way out.

The big question in her mind was; where the hell was Riddick and what was he doing? What if he just docked the ship and left her here to die? 

A deep breath. Another.

Okay, get a grip. He's not going to leave you here without finding out who you are. Riddick may be a total bastard but he's a smart bastard. He'll want to know how he got caught and who the hell caught him. 

At least she wasn't naked. That would've been truly embarrassing. 

Footsteps coming down the hall. The door was left open but the cell was closed so she watched through the bars as Riddick glided into the room. How was it possible for someone that big to move _that_ gracefully?

He stood in front of the cell with his feet planted squarely and an evil grin on his face. Glasses pushed up and dangerously gleaming eyes stared at her. Jack waited for him to say something. Anything.

The lock clicked open as he slid in the card and he stepped into the small area, his arms crossed over his chest. Strange how she was tied, probably about to die and the only thing she seemed to notice was that he still hadn't put on a shirt. _Goddamn_, she was losing it.

Finally Jack couldn't take the silence or his arrogant smile anymore. "Don't get too cocky. This isn't over yet."

The grin got bigger.

"Fuck you!" She wished that she could've just ignored him but he was taking up all the room, the air, everything. It was too much.

"Is that what you want? You want me to fuck you?" He leaned down over her and she stiffened immediately. Oh shit!

"Well, if this is the only way you can get a date----" She plastered a sarcastic smirk on her face.

A warm hand landed softly on her knee and smoothly rounded to her calf. It should have terrified her but something in her memory of him told her that he was bluffing. Riddick wasn't a rapist. She knew it. At least, that's what she told herself.

She laughed softly. Look at me big guy, I'm not scared of you.

Two furrowed lines appeared in his forehead and he tightened his grip on her leg.

"Give it up Riddick. You're not going to rape me and we both know it. Why don't you untie me and ask me your questions. I know you must have questions." Jack was taking a big leap of faith here.

"You're a real fuckin' know it all, ain't ya?" The surprise was evident.

"I know who the fuck I'm dealing with." She willed him to remember who she was. Remember the monster he'd killed to save her. If he realized who she was, he might let her go and then she could get him back in here where he belonged.

Unreadable, his face was like a stone. 

His hand slid up, back over her knee and over the soft skin of her thigh. Her eyes closed, a painful throb started behind one eye. Her plan had backfired. He had no idea who she was and he _was_ a Goddamn rapist. Fuck! She just couldn't get a break.

Warm air hitting her, his body leaning over her. A rough cheek brushing her ear. Jack bit back a whimper.

"You've grown up Jack." Riddick whispered.

He hadn't thought of her in years. Just a little blip in his memory of that place, of that darkness and here she was. She'd obviously come lookin' for payback although he seriously had no idea why. He'd saved her ass back on T2. Twice. 

As soon as he said her name her eyes snapped open. They were really black with those lenses and he found himself wondering again what color they were. She looked relieved.

"Surprised I made it to adulthood?" She bit out.

"No. Too bad you grew up so stupid, though." He sat on the edge of the bed and she tried to move away.

"At least I'm not a homicidal maniac." She glared up at him.

Riddick chuckled deep in his chest. "Not yet."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Her eyes were flashing. Shit, she was gorgeous when she got riled up.

"Well--- unless those restraints were some kind of kinky sex thing, you must've been planning some nasty shit for me." He looked pointedly at the wall where the cuffs were attached. "The question I got is _why_?"

"WHY!" She shouted.

This day was getting better as far as entertainment went he thought to himself cynically.

"I'll tell you why you self centered asshole! You left us there with nothing. Nothing! We had to beg for food. I thought I was going to have to sell my ass to get off the streets. You fuck! You miserable fuck!" She was seething and he really enjoyed the show. 

Riddick chewed on his bottom lip and looked at her thoughtfully. What the hell? Imam had given him the money. Told him to get out. Besides, from the look of Jack, she certainly had done well enough on her own. Probably a hell of a lot better off because of his leaving her. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, _right_?

Okay---I'll just explain this nice and slow. She'll figure it out. "You're pretty damn tough, aren't you?"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Her eyes narrowed and lips thinned.

"Take anything life throws at you?" He questioned quietly.

"No prob!" 

"Then you should be thanking me Jack. Not trying to ghost my ass." He was rather pleased with his logic. He watched while she took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring slightly.

"I'm sure I'm going to regret this but would mind explaining that fucked up idea."

"Me leaving you there, no money, nobody to whine to; that was good. Now you can handle yourself whatever shit happens"

She stared up at him. "------I see."

Riddick looked at her gritted teeth and locked jaw. Every muscle in her body was tensed and he could see the heat radiating off her with his altered vision. It would seem that she didn't agree with him. 

"Calm down." He was starting to get pissed. After all, _she_ was the one that had stunned him and tied him to a wall.

"Untie me you motherfucker." It came out in one-syllable growls. 

"Didn't Imam teach you any manners girl? Ask nicely and I might think about it." Riddick cocked his head to one side and watched the flares of rage induced heat shooting off her.

Jack turned her head away. 

Obviously she wasn't going to chill out anytime soon so Riddick got up and walked out of the cell. "I'll tell you what, I'm going to get us to a safer place and then you and I are going have a sit down. Get this shit straightened out."

Jack was so furious she could hardly breath. "Fuck you Riddick!"

His loud laughter echoed down the hall and back into her room as she lay there. This was unbearable. 

She mimicked his deep voice. "Oh yeah, little girl. I saved you from the horror of having food and a place to sleep. _Whatever_!"

At least he's not going to hurt you and he'll eventually untie you and then; bing bang boom, he'll be back in this cell and I'll be the one delivering the sermons on life. She tried to shore herself up with positive thoughts. Just bide your time Jack!

Waiting for him to return she slowly replayed the conversation in her mind. He'd seemed genuinely surprised that she wanted revenge. It made her feel slightly stupid for hating him all these years when he obviously hadn't thought about her at all. She recalled the feeling of his warm hand on her leg. Little tingles went up and down her back. He had big hands. She remembered that from T2. He'd used those hands to protect her, to push her up a muddy slope away from danger. 

Those same hands had murdered all across the known worlds. 

Still, they'd felt gentle when on her. 

Oh Christ! Stop doing this Jack. He's a murderer no matter how sexy he looks or feels. She groaned. Sexy-----where the hell did that come from. He wasn't sexy---he was a walking nightmare. He was death incarnate. He was the enemy.

She worked herself back into another rage and then finally got tired enough to sleep. It had been a rough day. She smiled as her eyes drifted closed; any day with Riddick would be a rough day.

He stood in the shadows of the hallway watching her sleep. Startling how sweet she looked when she wasn't screaming obscenities at him, how soft. What was he going to do with her? He couldn't just let her go. She'd probably hunt him down again and he wasn't about to take the chance of her getting lucky next time. 

X her out? He rubbed a hand over his jaw. Only as a last resort.

The only thing he could come up with was to make her forgive him. If she got over her anger then he'd let her go. 

Great idea Richard! _Just how the hell are you gonna pull that off?_


	5. The Morning After

"Mmmm." Food cooking. Breakfast. Imam must be cooking this morning. 

Jack stirred under the fluffy blanket, stretching.

Then, like a bullet, it came back to her. Riddick, the cell, everything. She sat up so fast her head spun and looked around the room. She was in her Captain's quarters. 

Had it all just been a dream? She held her head in her hands for a minute trying to think clearly. If she had dreamed all of it then who the hell was cooking breakfast? 

She vaulted out of the bed, opened her closet and looked for her weapon's locker. It wasn't there. She checked the night side table for a small laser gun she kept there. Nothing. Shit! He'd cleaned her out. Now what?

Without warning the door slid open and Mr. Evil himself walked in. "Good, you're awake. You hungry?"

She was stunned. What was going on? Didn't he understand she was here to capture him? 

"What?"

"I'm not much of a cook but it's edible." He motioned to the open door.

"Where are my things?" Jack spoken as evenly as she could.

"I dumped them. Do you want to eat or should I just go ahead?" He was looking at her like she was a crazy person.

"Dumped them?" 

"Jack, you seemed overly concerned about a few toys. Did they have some sentimental attachment?" The bastard was smiling at her now.

He'd put her weapons kit out the airlock. Thousands of credits worth of technology. It had taken her years to buy and learn how to use all that stuff and he'd just shoved it out an airlock. Anger rising inside her was threatening to choke her. Added to her outrage was the knowledge that without that edge, she'd never be able to get him back in that cell. He was too big and powerful and no amount of martial arts training was going to help her now. 

This just sucked. 

"I'm gonna eat." He turned his back on her and left.

She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the floor. Okay, what was she going to do now? A surge of joy entered her. Maybe he hadn't gotten everything. There could be a few tranq darts in the pocket of her jacket. All she'd have to do was hit him with one of them and she'd be back in business. She pawed through her clothes closet and found two darts in the side pocket of her flightsuit jacket. Pay dirt!

She passed the dresser mirror on her way to the door and caught a glimpse of herself. Oh my God! Jack couldn't believe how horrible she looked. Big dark circles under her eyes, her hair hanging in big greasy tangles. Riddick must think she was pitiful, _not to mention hideous_, she thought lamentably. 

What do you care she shouted in her head? He's just a common criminal. She tried to reassure herself of that all the way down the corridor and into the galley. Delicious smells assaulting her, making her stomach growl. She gripped the dart tightly in her hand and tried to calm down. He'd taken the gun so she had to get close enough to jab it in him. He couldn't suspect anything or she'd never get near him.

Riddick was sitting at the table with a half-eaten plate in front of him and a computer flexi. He looked up as she walked in. "You want a plate?"

She stopped, confused. Why was public enemy number one cooking for her? Why was he being so nice? What the hell was happening here? She pushed it to the back of her mind and concentrated on her plan. 

"Sure. It smells good." She attempted to look defenseless. Not terribly hard considering that all she had was a tiny dart in her hand. It was suppose to be immediately effective but she was still scared. Strike and run was the plan.

He turned to the counter and Jack moved in behind him slowly. "Where'd you learn to cook?" Oh God! Could she have thought of a more inane question?

"Don't know. Just did." He sounded completely at ease---well, as _at ease_ as Riddick ever got.

His shoulders were big. A good target. Impossible to miss and he was wearing a tank top so his skin was bare. 

Nice skin she thought distractedly. Kinda toffee colored. She remembered how he'd looked under the twin suns of T2, all bronzed and glistening. Stop that, she shouted in her head. 

Squashing her admiration, she brought her hand up and stabbed him with the dart. Quickly, she backed up.

Riddick felt the sharp prick and knew what it was. Shit! This stuff always gave him a Goddamn headache. It never knocked him out. He had no idea why but he'd been shot five times ----- six times now and he'd never gone down.

He turned in a flash and watched Jack back up into the counter. The panic in her eyes when she realized that she couldn't move and that he wasn't reacting was priceless. 

Instinctively he followed her and pushed her into the corner of the room. She was feeling along the counter ledge, probably for a knife. He put his hands down on either side of her and leaned in, his face inches from hers.

To give her credit, she didn't freak out. She stood as tall as she could and faced him. Impressive, he admitted to himself.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked quietly pushing down the anger.

She gulped but her eyes stayed fixed on his.

"I don't want to fight Jack. I don't want to hurt you." _Well, maybe a little._

A little nervous laugh slipped out of her. "Yeah, right."

"Look kid, I'm going to apologize for saving my own ass five fucking years ago. What I am going to do is pretend that you didn't haven't shocked, tied and stabbed me in the last day and then I'm going to sit down and finish my meal."

He moved out of her space and backed away into his chair. He pulled the tranq out of his shoulder and tossed it on the table and then started to eat. Nice and slow Riddick he thought. Don't scare her anymore. Just let her relax. 

He repeated this mantra in his head several times, fighting the urge to knock her out for being such a psycho. 

Bewildered, Jack stood in the corner for a minute or so trying to figure out what his game was. Why wasn't the sedative working? Shouldn't it being taking effect by now?

Eyes narrowed, she watched him eat. One mouth full after another. He didn't seem groggy. The instructions on the box had advertised complete immobilization of the target. Riddick was definitely not immobile.

God! That food looked good and he looked good eating it, muscles rippling as he lifted his fork. 

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Maybe more sleep would snap her out of this --- fascination she'd developed for his body.

He startled her out of her recriminations. "Tranqs don't work on me. You can stand there until universe implodes and I'll still be awake."

__

Figures! "I guess being the Spawn of Satan has some advantages eh?"

He laughed softly, the sound wrapping around her, embracing her. 

More sleep. She needed more sleep. Maybe then she could get her shit together and stop thinking of Riddick as anything but the asshole that he was. Not thinking clearly. She made her way down the corridor and back to her cabin. Seeing herself in the mirror again she changed directions and headed to the bathroom. A shower would probably help. 

When she stepped into the room she realized that Riddick had been in there. He must have had a shower. There was water pooled in the stall and a wet towel on the back of the toilet. She stared at the tiled cubical and for a moment imagined his nude body under the spray of the water. The rivulets of water running over his caramel skin, along the ridges of muscle------. 

Oh Christ! She laid her head against the cool wall. This was out of control. She tried to pull all the hatred back into the forefront of her mind but it was difficult. Since she'd brought him here he'd done nothing inherently wrong. Nothing that she could point her finger at and say 'you are the bad guy'.

Jack didn't hear Riddick as he came up behind her. Didn't know he was there until he put one hand on her shoulder and she reacted utterly on intuition when she swung around and punched him as hard as she could.

He hadn't been expecting it and she made direct contact. 

They both gasped. He in pain and her in shock.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He appeared his unflappable calm self but she felt the anger.

"Why are you sneaking up on me like that?" She shot back.

"I wasn't fucking sneaking. I was worried about you. You don't look so hot and I thought maybe you needed some help." He rubbed his sore jaw and she winced in spite of feeling that he deserved it.

"You! Helping me?" She asked incredulously. Richard B. Riddick helped no one but himself.

"Yeah, you know --- like I when I helped you by taking out Johns because he wanted to use you for bait, like I helped you when I came back for you. Twice! You remember that don't you?" He stalked off, obviously furious.

Jack slid down the wall feeling totally shattered. Everything that she'd thought. Believed for the last five years was crumbling down around her. She had been convinced that he was responsible for all the misery she'd suffered and now it seemed ---- it seemed like a lie. 


	6. Fingerpainting

Riddick went into the cockpit and slumped down in the pilot's chair. He rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. This was proving more difficult than he'd imagined. Since he'd decided to make nice with Jack, she'd attempted to do him in twice. How much more 'nice' was he expected to take before he just fucking snapped?

Choosing to push the whole problem to the backburner he began checking out her systems. On board weapons were incredible. What the hell had Jack been anticipating, an entire squadron of fighters? Holy shit, this computer interface was unbelievable. He attached the neuro-net pads to his temples and started a quick scan. It looked like she had some kind of accounting system with a client list. She must work on-line. Wondering what her deal was, he tried getting in to the secured data.

No luck. He hit a firewall. Okay, so she's a bit paranoid. Not exactly a bad quality in his book.

What else does she have in here----? He sifted through file after file before he found her personal journal. 

No password. Hmmmm. 

__

Shouldn't leave doors open unless you want people to walk in. 

It was several hours later when he sat back in the chair and yanked off the connections to the interface. At least he had some idea of why she was so pissed at him now. It looked like they'd had had it pretty bad when he'd taken off. No food, no place to live. Then later on, the fights at school, the police busts and the string of loser that she'd attached herself to sexually or otherwise. It was obvious, even to him, that she had serious abandonment issues.

After the first couple of years it seemed she'd picked herself up and the journals had reflected a stronger, angrier girl. One with determination. Oh yeah! _She was determined all right_. Determined to pay him back for every shitty thing that had been done to her. That was how she'd finally learned to deal with everything. Directing her fury towards someone she could blame.

Riddick absently rubbed his now swollen jaw and contemplated how to put an end to that much anger. Did he even want to bother? She was just some brat that he'd helped out a long time ago. He wished that he could believe that, wished that it didn't matter but for some stupid reason it felt like his own salvation was connected to hers. Goddamn you Carolyn Fry!

He got up and walked quietly back to her lush quarters. It was a flash ship! He wondered what kind of a game she was running to have a nice ride like this. Wondered if it was legit. 

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, he examined Jack while she slept. Damp hair had curled softly around her face and those accusing eyes were closed, long black lashes brushing against her pale cheeks. 

The bed dipped with his weight and she shifted and rolled slightly towards him, her legs cozying up behind him and her head coming to rest on his legs. 

He froze as Jack adjusted herself around him in her sleep. 

One slack hand landed in his crotch and he stared at it. Such an innocent gesture but the thoughts that entered his mind were most definitely not innocent. He hadn't really considered her as a woman until that moment. At least not as a woman that he would want to ----- well, that he could---- oh fuck! This was wrong and he knew it. She was a messed up kid and he should be thinking about cutting her loose.

Suddenly she grumbled and rocked back to the other side of the bed, leaving his lap cold. The blanket slipped down and he caught a glimpse of her bra. Black. Hmmm. His favorite color.

Riddick paused, his eyes flashing in the darkness.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. If '_nice_' wasn't going to work, _seduction_ might. 

He stood up and quickly stripped his shirt off, then his pants. Naked, he slid into the bed beside her and carefully pulled the blanket over both of them. His heavy arm slowly nestled her to his chest and he settled in. It probably wasn't safe to sleep so he figured on relaxing here and pretending to wake up when she did. It was a hell of a lot harder to hate someone when they held you in your sleep. At least, that's what he was hoping. One step closer to letting go of all that rage.

Riddick nuzzled the back of her neck and smiled. 

__

The sacrifices he had to make. 

Things did not go exactly as he'd planned when Jack woke up. 

It must have been because of all the damage that she'd inflicted on him over the last two days but Riddick was fast asleep when she turned over and realized he was there. She lay there for a minute in complete shock, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. Then she looked under the covers and got another jolt.

Oh my God! How had she gotten in bed with a naked Riddick? 

Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest that she couldn't believe that he was still sleeping. 

Her eyes fixed on his face. The lines in his forehead had smoothed out and he looked peaceful. It was an illusion, of course, but she almost wanted to giggle at seeing him appear so tranquil. Talk about surreal. 

In fact, everything seemed hazy. Her mind was in turmoil and she just couldn't connect the man she was suppose to hate with the one laying next to her.

Before she realized what she was doing, her fingers reached out and traced the softness of his lips. Jack was so focused on the sensations running through her, she didn't see Riddick's gleaming eyes slowly open and gaze at her.

His lips parted slightly and she let one tapered finger slide along the reddish skin exposed. Velvet. So different from what she'd expected. 

Finally she looked up. Captivated by his intense stare, she was held motionless for long agonizing seconds. This was mortifying. Lying in bed with a killer, molesting him. Oh Jesus Christ! 

Then, he drew her finger past his sharp teeth, into his hot mouth, sucking and she forgot that he was a killer, forgot everything. The warm heat from his mouth ran through her like a bolt of lightening, igniting every nerve ending. 

Unwillingly, a moan escaped her. She had to stop this but didn't want the exquisite feeling to stop. 

His teeth grazed the soft pad and she watched his eyes light up. They said very clearly, _now I've got you_!

For a moment, all Jack wanted was for him to continue what he was doing to her. An overwhelming need was building inside her, a need to have Riddick touch every part of her. But that look of triumph in his eyes angered her. How dare he! How fucking dare he climb in her bed and manhandle her like this! She yanked her finger out of his mouth and, with both hands, shoved him as hard as she could.

The surprised look on his face as he slid off the edge of the bed was extraordinary. Elation thrilled her, only slightly faltering when his head smacked against the nightside table. She hesitantly crawled over to the side and peered down at him. 

He wasn't moving, eyes closed, blood sluggishly pooling on the floor. 

Well, you wanted him out of your bed Jack thought wistfully as she put two fingers to his throat and made sure he was still alive. Not that a bump on the head was going to kill the Big Evil, but----.

A steady pulse throbbed and she let out the breath that she'd been holding. Okay_, get up_ Jack she yelled silently to herself. Get him in the cell before he wakes up.

She didn't even bother to dress, just started dragging his nude body down the corridor. She didn't want to stop, didn't want to risk the chance that she might talk herself out of this. Riddick the killer was going back to the slam. Maybe she didn't feel the need to torture him anymore but that didn't make him an innocent man.

The blood from his head wound was smeared all over her hands and, since she had put her hands under his arms to lug him to the cell, it covered his chest and sides in bright red smears. Moving him was causing the cut to gush and crimson rivulets ran down her legs. Jesus this was disgusting. She definitely was not made for this type of work. It wasn't helping that she had to do all this while averting her eyes from the lower part of his body. She should've put some pants on him. For that matter, she should've put her own damn pants on; she glanced at her bra and panties.

At the entrance of the holding room she paused for just a second to catch her breath. She lay him down and stepped over to check his pulse again but her foot slipped in some of Riddick's blood and she fell on him. Her ass landed squarely on his stomach and she heard a grunt as the air was forced out of him.

This was quickly becoming a comedy routine Jack thought ruefully as her slippery hands tried to find something to hold on to.

Riddick felt the blow as she crashed down on him. Oh God! His head was pounding. What the fuck had happened? 

He remembered Jack's eyes all dewy and that sexy little moan she'd made when he------she'd pushed him off the fucking bed! Jesus Christ! This woman was a huge pain in the ass. 

Putting a stop to her wiggling around on top of him, he grabbed her with both hands and flipped them over so that he was on top and she was face down on the ground. It was then that he realized there was blood everywhere. 

"Are you hurt?" He yelled, trying to make her hear him over her own cursing and shouting.

She stilled under him for a moment. "No. It's your blood." 

A drop rolled over his brow and dripped on to the floor. He looked at the red splatter in shock. "What are you trying to do, kill me?"

"You fell." She didn't sound very sure of herself now.

"I fell?" Not likely.

"Okay, I pushed you and you hit your head while falling."

"And instead of bandaging me up, you thought dragging my ass down here was a better plan?" Riddick was really starting to get pissed. 

"I was going to ------ after I put you in -----."

He looked at the open cage door. "I see." 

He sat up and released Jack. She scrambled up off the floor and sat against the far wall. It wasn't a pretty sight; blood painted up and down her, big terrified eyes. He knew he had to calm down and deal with this so that she didn't freak out. He just couldn't believe that she had been gonna lock him up again. After that finger ---- thing, he figured that she'd be a lot easier to reason with. 

Apparently it was gonna take a bit more convincing.

He stood up, careful not to step in the red smears on the floor and held out his hand. "Come on."

"Where?"

"We need a shower."

He didn't wait for the protest, just picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. 


	7. Treaty Negotiations

At first, Jack couldn't believe that she was hanging over his shoulder looking down at the deck. That disbelief quickly turned to complete outrage. This was too much. She started to pound his back with sharp jabs, her whole body thrown into the effort of getting down. It wasn't working. He ignored her punches as much as he did her hollering. It was becoming increasing difficult not to notice the way his buttocks flexed as he walked, the way the muscles in his thighs contracted. For some reason, this made her even more furious.

When they reached the bathroom and he thumped her down in the shower stall, she attempted to kick him. He just held her down and turned freezing cold water on her, laughing as she struggled. His massive hands covering the top of her head.

"You wanna play with the big boys----" 

"If I find a _big _boy, I'll play with him." She sneered pointedly at his exposed penis through the streams of cold water.

Riddick hauled her up and pinned her against the wall. He stepped into the small area and leaned down over her, his lips brushing her ear. "Really? And what games would you play?" The cold water ran down over his bare chest, rivers dancing over his golden skin.

She suddenly became very conscious of the fact that her near naked state in combination with his complete nudity made comments like her last one, a bit too dangerous. "Get off me, you ape." She mustered as much disdain as she possibly could.

"I'm not on you----yet." He did let her go and backed up a few paces. She tried to slip past him but a thick arm shot out and prevented her escape.

"Look------" He paused and chewed on his lower lip a moment as Jack turned to meet his gaze. "This is finished. Do you understand? You will not try to put me back in that fucking cell." Every word said slowly and carefully.

She stared up at his face, water tinged with blood pouring down. 

"I have to." It was nothing more than a whisper. 

She felt ripped up inside. This man didn't seem to be the villain that she'd always thought him to be but she'd come too far now. There was nothing else she could do.

He continued to bore holes through her with his shining eyes and said nothing. 

A heavy weight rolled in Jack's stomach and for a second she thought she might throw up. Riddick was probably going to kill her now. 

Riddick looked down at Jack's dismal form. Shaking in the cold water, her defiant eyes. The desperation in her voice had really hit him hard. She'd obviously made a choice that she couldn't find her way out of. 

__

Do her now? 

His hand went to the water control and adjusted it for warmth while he absently considered the best way to ----- shit! He just couldn't imagine doing it. This woman ------- she'd gotten under his skin. The guts it took to face him down, the stamina to have made something of herself with such a crappy beginning. And then, there was that spark that she'd given him moments ago in her bed. He mentally kicked himself for wishing something more exciting would happen in his life. 

"I'll make you a deal." A low rumble in his chest. He couldn't believe he was doing this.

Her eyes lit up. "What kinda deal?" 

"You give me one week. One week to show you that you're wrong about me." He moved his arm to let her go.

Both hands came up to push wet strands of hair back off her face. "What if I'm right?"

Her exposed breasts momentarily distracted him when her arms lifted. The soaking bra was completely transparent. His eyes shifted down quickly and took in the dark thatch of hair visible through her panties. Hmmm.

"Hey, perv! I'm up here!" She gestured to her head.

He smiled wickedly and drawled. "Oh yeah, you're up here and down there. You're everywhere." 

"What if, at the end of the week, I still think you belong in Slam City." She was workin' real hard to ignore his innuendoes.

He picked up a cloth and turned his back to her. Letting the hot water pound on his head and face. Thinking. _Good question, what then_? 

"Then, you take your best shot." He wasn't planning on letting shit get that outta control.

"One week?"

"That's what I said." He growled.

"Okay, it's a deal but nothin' you do is gonna change my mind."

"Hmmm. I guess we'll have to see about that."

"And you stay the hell out of my bed." Her eyes on fire, she spun around to make her exit from the shower stall and Riddick turned to watch her go. May as well catch the show from the back he thought humorously.

She took two steps and then slid in a patch of bloody water, her arms flailing and a little scream coming out of her. He didn't think, he just reacted and caught her up in his arms, pulling her back under the spray.

"I don't know how you expect me to stay outta your bed when you keep throwing yourself at me." He breathed in her ear.

"You wish!" She retorted sarcastically.

Riddick moved both hands down to her hips and pressed their lower bodies together. He could feel himself getting hard. "Oh yeah, I wish." A low growl against her shoulder. Then he flicked his tongue over her skin, his heat contrasting with her chill. He picked up bra strap in his teeth and gently dragged it down, smiling at her lack of resistance. Moving one hand over the sleek muscle of her stomach, he dipped just under the waist of her panties.

A sharp elbow to his ribs stopped him from going any further. Jack broke away from his embrace and stalked very carefully out of the bathroom, leaving puddled footprints behind. 

__

Too fast. Next time he'd go slower he promised himself as he enjoyed the sway of her hips.

She practically ran to her cabin. Oh my God! What the hell had that been? She'd been completely spineless back there. Trying to concentrate on the deal that she'd made, as she paced the room, but her mind kept returning to the feel of his hands on her body, his lips and tongue. Oh Christ, she was in trouble. 

"Trouble. Oh that's a fucking understatement." She muttered to herself as she dried off and got dressed. Should she keep her end of the deal? Upside down, brushing out her hair, she decided that breaking the deal would probably get her killed. She'd made three failed attempts to lock him up and he'd not even retaliated but if she tried after agreeing to this ludicrous cease-fire he might ----- would he kill her? Could he? 

She twisted her hair up into a knot. So far, all he'd done was get all mushy with her. Cooking for her, climbing into bed with her and then that little shower scene. She shivered thinking about how difficult it had been to walk away from those hands, from that hard body. She mentally shook herself. Snap out of it! It shouldn't be too damn hard to avoid him for a week and by then she'd have a great plan worked out. No problem.

It wasn't a problem until he started cooking dinner. The smells wafting down the corridor were practically killing her. She hadn't eaten for two days now and was really feeling it, her stomach prompting her towards the kitchen.

He was mixing some tofu and vegetables in a pan. She'd deliberately installed a real food kitchen so that she wouldn't have to live off of vacuum packs and now it was biting her in the ass. She didn't even try to resist.

"Are you making some for me?" She tried to look uninterested but the grumbling from her stomach gave her away.

Riddick looked down at her talking midsection and nodded. "Awful nice of you to provide us with fresh food. I don't usually get this luxury."

"Well, here at SpaceTrans Jack we like to make our passengers as comfortable as possible." She replied flippantly.

A short chuckled from Riddick. "Ah, the lady has a sense of humor."

"I've got a fanfuckingtastic sense of humor. How could you miss it?" Rolling her eyes.

"Guess I was unconscious at the time." He smirked.

He dished the food out onto plates and moved to the galley table. She joined him, moving in a wide circle around him and sat as far as the table would allow. He raised his eyebrows at her obvious attempt to distance herself but ate without comment. After the meal he cleaned up without saying anything and left her sitting alone. She was puzzled. Isn't this where he was suppose to tell her what a hard life he'd had and how she shouldn't blame him for being a badass, how she should wanna help him. 

It took another few minutes of wondering before her curiosity got the better of her and she went looking for him.

She shouldn't have. She should've just gone back to her cabin and started working on her plan. Boy oh boy! 

Riddick had stripped down to a pair of body hugging shorts and was waiting for the clothing recycler to fix and wash his clothes. He leaned against the wall with arms folded over his well-defined chest, abdominal muscles rippled down to the low waist of his shorts. Jack's eyes traveled over the bulge at his crotch and down to long sculpted legs. This was the first time she'd had a chance to look at him without there being a conflict of some sort. He was ------

She moaned inwardly. Why did he have to look like a goddamned ------ a goddamned piece of art. It wasn't fair.

"See anything you like?" Riddick asked suggestively, breaking her out of the trance she'd been in.

"Just making sure you weren't doing anything dangerous." Trying to sound normal.

"Hmmm." Pushing himself off the wall, he walked towards her, his eyes flashing in the low overhead lighting.

Run! Her mind was screaming but her traitorous body just stood there.


End file.
